Beatrice & Dante

Dante only met the real-life Beatrice, twice: the first time at nine years old and the second time, nine years later, along the bank of the river Arno, in Florence. Despite these brief encounters, Dante was mesmerized by the young woman’s beauty and thus celebrated her in his literary works. Not only was Beatrice a stunning vehicle for beauty, did she become the virtual muse and main character of Dante’s poetry - the ideal allegory for beauty and love. Dante expressed his feelings for Beatrice in the medieval idea of courtly love - a secret and respectful admiration and with The Divine Comedy, he transformed Beatrice into a spiritual guide to heaven. From physical individual, Beatrice was thus transformed into an intangible fantasy, the very embodiment of perfection - ‘the glorious lady of [Dante’s] mind’.